Laughter circles around me as I sit up, my head throbbing to the beat of the bass drum making the walls shake. The metal pipes that create a cage around me hum with every kick, and the shrieking laughter almost shatters my eardrums.

"Hello, Miss Prissy," a voice hisses.

I turn around to see a sickening clown face staring at me, it's teeth sharp like knives and nails long as claws as it wraps them around the bars holding me captive. A crown hangs off the side of his head, it's metal twisted and mangled in a way that makes you cringe when you look at it.

"Where am I?" I gasp, hearing another one of the monster clowns cackle and slam into the bars directly behind me.

"You're below the carnivals' stage, Miss Prissy," the head clown says with an evil grin, his wicked makeup making him look all the more terrifying. "Happy birthday Miss Prissy-and don't forget to smile!"

He tears his head back and a chilling laugh echoes off the walls and over the kick drum. The cage I'm in bounces once, and then a metallic sound like nails scraping on chalkboards begins to take over all sounds but the bass drum, even the clowns' as more and more jump onto the cage as it lifts into the darkness. I look up to see the stage opening up, a bright light pounding down on me. My eyes want to close from the intensity, but there is too much adrenaline pumping through my body, I'm too scared, frightened move a muscle. My hands shake and my lungs aren't able to hold any oxygen.

The cage stops moving and the clowns are off in a burst of energy, the crowd bathed in darkness cheering loudly.

"Meet Miss Prissy," the head clown says to the crowd, the other clowns dancing around and doing tricks on the stage. "Today is her birthday."

I hear catcalls and shouts of 'Happy Birthdays' circling the room. My stomach drops as a clown crashes into the cage and looks down at me between the bars, smiling. It squeezes it's head through the bars and opens its sharp jaws.

"It's time to give her our present."

The head clown laughs loudly as the clown poking through the cage squeezes his shoulders through he bars. I scramble backwards, a scream escaping my throat. It lands on the large metal floor of the cage. I feel the bars against my back. He crawls towards me, his head swinging side to side, the smile he wears sending pulses of fear through my veins. Another clown jumps onto the cage and I press against the cage walls-and they suddenly give way.

The clowns squeal and howl with laughter as I fall to the ground from the cage door, landing on my back. My white dress tangles in my legs and I'm disoriented.

The head clown stands over me, smiling down. I jump up, trying to get away. My head feels light and I almost lose my footing, but I stand strong, staring at the man in the makeup in front of me.

He chuckles and pulls something like a gun from his belt.

"What's a birthday party without dancing, Miss Prissy?" He cackles and points the gun at my feet.

He begins to shoot.

I jump up and down like a maniac, trying to dodge whatever things that are exploding with red sparks at my feet. I run around the cage infested with terrifying clowns, the head clown still shooting at me.

Suddenly he shoots, and the hem of my dress catches on fire. The clowns jump out of the cage as I cry out and try to put out the flames. They begin to tear at the dress, making it look like I had fallen into a forest of thorns. I swat at them, trying to push them away, to make them leave me alone, once and for all. This was supposed to be a good day. This was supposed to be my day.

I push again, and one of the clowns clamps onto my hand with their mouth. I scream and try to pull away, making it worse. The fire is starting to burn my legs, I can feel it.

"Move away," the head clown calls, and his smiling minions back away from me as the flames grow, taking me over. I scream for help, the audience chatting and calling out, thinking it's all an act.

The fire is suddenly put out as water is thrown on me, and I fall to the ground. The head clown walks up to me as another clown lifts up my torso, resting behind me to keep me upright. My head lolls on my neck as I try to focus on the man before me. Every inch of my body hurts, burns, swells. This is it. I can feel it.

"Happy birthday, Miss Prissy," the head clown says quietly.

"My..." I breathe. "My name isn't-"

"Shh. Sh, sh, Miss Prissy. It'll all be over soon." He lets out a howling laugh as the clowns crowd around me again. The world pulses in and out with the kick drum as it comes back into focus. Their body's block out all the light and I feel something on my face. Something wet. Something strange.

I sit up with a gasp. I'm in my bed, in my room. I can feel sweat everywhere on my body.

"It was just a dream... It was just a dream..." I tell my pounding heart. "It was only a dream."

I make my way to the bathroom. I lean over the sink, just focusing on breathing. I stand up, and what I see in the mirror makes my heart beat like that kick drum I had heard.